Creating More Happy People from 'A Place Where You Can Be Yourself' – Vanwaves Co., Ltd.

From Hamamoto at TIMEWELL

This is Hamamoto from TIMEWELL Corporation.

Creating More Happy People from "A Place Where You Can Be Yourself"

Creating More Happy People from "A Place Where You Can Be Yourself" – Vanwaves Co., Ltd.

We Want to Provide Spaces and Time Where People Can Be Truly Themselves

— From Camper Van Rentals to the Sauna Business —

We launched the company in March 2020 and started with a camper van lease and rental business under the concept of a "moving hotel." At that time, we began offering tent sauna rentals as an option, which eventually led to the sauna business we are now focused on. Through both the camper van and sauna businesses, we want to deliver the value of "spending time in a space where you can be yourself, reflect on yourself, and shine"—to our customers.

In the sauna business, we operate under the theme of "a life with sauna," expanding to both individual and corporate customers.

First, for Individual Customers, We Sell a Tent Sauna Called "IESAUNA"

For individual customers, we sell a tent sauna called "IESAUNA." IESAUNA is a smoke-free tent sauna designed to fit in compact spaces, so even people living in urban apartments can use it on their balconies.

For corporate customers, we collaborate with housing manufacturers and construction companies to propose saunas as one of the exterior features—such as verandas or balconies—when they pitch new home construction projects. We also provide softer recommendations, such as guidance on how to properly use saunas, to accommodation facilities and glamping hotels looking to add new value.

This December, we plan to release "IESAUNA IRORI," a sauna electric heater, and we hope to make "a sauna in every home" a reality.

Building a "Great Sauna" Together With Our Customers

Having a personal sauna at home means that busy business professionals can be freed from time constraints and create a "safety net" they can always come home to.

For example, slipping in a quick sauna session before heading to work in the morning, or having a quick sauna before bed. IESAUNA uses a liquid fuel called bioethanol that heats up the sauna room quickly, so you can hop in on a whim—that's one of its defining features.

We sometimes receive comments like, "After I got home and stepped into IESAUNA, I finally got to take a breath and unwind at the end of the day," which makes me think it's become an emotional anchor for some people.

IESAUNA is also distinctive in that customers can customize their sauna space themselves. By intentionally leaving space for personalization in the product design, some people DIY their sauna with scents and lighting. Seeing how customers share their sauna lives on social media and naturally form a community around it—that's something unique to IESAUNA. We've been organizing meetups and events to support the sauna-loving community as well.

We Have Even Commercialized Products Based on Feedback from Customers

We have even commercialized products based on feedback directly from our customers. To help enrich people's sauna lives, we worked with a construction company to create a chair exclusively for IESAUNA. I have a sense that we and our customers are building a great sauna together.

Energizing Every Individual—and Japan as a Whole—Through Sauna

We want to continue contributing to raising overall happiness levels across Japan through sauna. That passion is packed into "IESAUNA IRORI," which we'll launch this December.

Currently, housing manufacturers and construction companies across Japan are building saunas using local timber, but when it comes to the heater—the heart of the sauna—they inevitably have to import foreign-made products. Now that sauna is becoming a tourism resource, I want to create a "Made In Japan" sauna, including the heater, and work together with others on something that has genuine social value.

"IESAUNA IRORI" Was Manufactured in Collaboration

"IESAUNA IRORI" was manufactured in collaboration with small factory owners in Ota Ward, Tokyo, achieving high-quality performance while keeping logistics costs down. I've also heard from facilities that already have saunas about the difficulty of dealing with breakdowns in foreign-made heaters. We want to build a solid maintenance system and provide especially attentive after-sales support in that area.

Through encounters with many people who have been saved by sauna, we believe that sauna can create happiness for others. So when it comes to sauna, we want to offer total proposals—covering everything from equipment to the softer aspects of how to use a sauna—on a level that makes us a leading company in this space. And through the fully domestic "IESAUNA IRORI" electric sauna heater and the Japanese sauna culture of "totonou" (the state of relaxation and mental clarity achieved through sauna), we want to spread Japanese culture to the world and help revitalize Japan's economy and industry.

This interview article was produced by the online assistant service "TIMEWELL."

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